Stories, memories, pictures, facts(?), and sometimes opinions, from the mental library of a long-time Bush Rat and de Havilland Otter Pilot!

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

One Fine-Looking "Rubber-Nosed Swamp Donkey"!

Yesterday, my good friend Wayne Letkeman, General Manager of Thunderbird Lodge & Outposts, sent me an e-mail of an animal that had just been harvested. Moose are the largest member of the deer family, and are a sight to behold, and very tasty! The boreal forest of Manitoba is prime habitat for moose. The area around Thunderbird Lodge, on the Poplar River, has a very large moose population, and is known for producing some very large animals, as there is an abundance of "browse". There are also many ponds and "beaver floods" adjoining the river, which are typically full of lily pads. Lily pad roots are high on the moose's list of "preferred cuisine". Anyway, check out the moose in the photo Wayne sent me, and marvel at one of God's creations, perfectly suited to it's habitat. There is also one proud "lady hunter" in the photo. Also notice the beautiful background colours, as "Fall" tightens it's "steely grip" on Manitoba.

Two fine specimens! This rack measured 54 1/2". It had one long tine broken, and Wayne figured it would've been between 57" and 58" without the damage! One fine animal!

It seems Wayne is running a successful hunt, as usual. Before I go, here is a link for some info on "Rubber-Nosed Swamp Donkeys" (Vince Crichton's affectionate name for moose), and details of Thunderbird Lodge's hunting packages.

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QUOTES

"In the untimely loss of your noble son, our affliction here, is scarcely less than your own. So much of promised usefulness to one's country, and of bright hopes for one's self and friends, have rarely been so suddenly dashed, as in his fall."

-President Abraham Lincoln

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem."

-President Ronald Reagan

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion."

- General Norman Schwarzkopf

"Hope is not a strategy."

- General Tommy Franks

"Had we lived I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale."

- Robert Falcon Scott

"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost."

- Reverend Billy Graham

"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."

- Dr. Martin Luther King

"Burn my Flag and I will shoot you........but I'll shoot you with a lot of love, like a good American."

- Johnny Cash

"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire."

- Reggie Leach

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."